“Break out of your silo; be seen and heard. Beat your drum, the world is waiting for you and what only you have to offer.”~ Tracy Worley

The 12^th day of Christmas is Drummers Drumming! Wow, what a wonderful way to end 12 days of Christmas!

I love drums, which makes no sense because loud noise, music, or constant body booming bass makes my teeth hurt. As an adult I started drum lessons, as I wanted to know the mechanics of how beautiful beats are made.

My first Muppet crush was Monster. Yes, not Kermit but Monster! I am attracted to the freedom of his spirit, hair, and bold passion for making the beat! I now realize he had the right colors too, my favorite color is red. My drum set is also red.

You were created with your own beat, some call it vibration. God loves us so much he gave us gifts, passion, and heart for things no one else on this world has. Wherever you are right now reading this, look up and see the people sitting around you. What is their unique beat?

Currently I am sitting in a public coffee house working. As I look up I observe only one person who is beating authentically. It is a toddler dancing, eyes wondering, and smiling with love to everyone who will look. She is in her beat without reservation! The adults in the room are on their devices in a silo of consciousness. There are people in groups of two or more talking; their body language tells me the same thing. No one is sitting tall; people are slouching in posture and conversation so they do not stand out.

Am I guilty of being in a silo or slouching? I am happy to report no! The last few years I make it a habit to look up often and make eye contact with at least one person and smile. I have made it a life habit to take up the space around me to sit tall.

I want to encourage you to sit up, and step out of the silo! There are people in and around your beat who need you! Only you have the ability and opportunity to offer what you have to offer.

Here are a few ideas to play around with to find your beat. Some of you were not meant to be loud, however you were meant to send out your beat to help others no matter how loud.

• What do people compliment you on?
  • Me? My smile. So I do it a lot. I do not have to say a word, my gift is a beautiful smile and it instantly lifts people.
• What do you love to do? What do you lose track of time doing?
  • Me? Writing (when I am in the zone)
  • Coaching or Training others
  • Family (I can get so lost in family)

There are other things you can do to find your beat, passion, and gifts. I will save that for another day.

May God bless you into 2017.  May you find the freedom, passion, and boldness to beat your drums. The world is waiting for you.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Truth is the way to build comfort, passion, and a bold fiery spirit. Be bold and adventurous in truth; creating a conviction others will follow.”~ Tracy Worley

The 11^th day of Christmas is eleven pipers piping. YIKES! I have shared my youthful images this far and going to share this one too. Any phrase with a piper, pied or otherwise takes my internal child mind imagery to the evil Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Oh, yes my mind goes there. The Child Catcher was able to find children just by sniffing them out and lured them with candy into a fanciful cart. This is one of the scariest memories for me, apparently other kiddo’s think so too as the Child Catcher is number 32 of 100 scariest movie moments.

Some say 11^th day signifies the eleven devoted apostles. Brief overview of the apostles they all died a martyr’s death except for John. Jesus nicked named John and his brother “sons of thunder”. John and his brother had a fiery impetuous temper (Mark 3:17, Luke 9:54).

• What are your scariest movie or life moments?
• Where do you find comfort in the scariest of moments?
• Are you on a rerun cycle watching and experiencing the scary parts over and over?
• Where are you bold in your passion; are you in fiery spirit?

The Child Catcher and the eleven apostles run a parallel for me. The Child Catcher silenced the new. Children have the way with truth; “out of the mouths of babes”. The Apostles were silenced from speaking truth. The Apostles spoke Jesus’ truth.

Challenge: Moving into the beginning of the year where can you be boldly fierce? Where can you build fiery conviction in your goals, relationships, and beliefs?

For me, I am going to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bank again. Go back to my planning calendar and ensure there is fiery passion in everything I do. Remember if we do not set intention, we become part of someone else’s plan.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Be brazen and bold! Leap joyfully into the authentic you.”~ Tracy Worley

The 10^th day of Christmas, Ten Lords a Leaping! I enjoy my youthful, fanciful vision of 10 lords a leaping. My 10 Lords are dressed in silver and gold, with tall red riding boots. The Lords are also riding beautiful black stallions leaping over great obstacles.

As we move into the 10^th day of Christmas and the New Year has come quickly like an ice cube sliding across the skating rink. Our daily calendars and church calendar go into Epiphany starting January 6^th, 2017.  Epiphany in the church calendar celebrates the revelation of God in his Son as human in Jesus Christ.

Another kind of epiphany is something out of the blue, that strikes me as wonderfully intelligent. I want to challenge you to start writing your own epiphany. Yep, write out your relationship goals, career goals, tribe goals, and what is in your way. Okay, stick with me here. I did ask you to include what is in your way, because if we do not identify the obstacle in our way we keep avoiding it, or let fear of the unknown block paths to success, joy, peace, and all we desire.

• Relationship / Tribe Goals:
  • Take inventory of all your relationships. Who is on board with your values, goals, and desires? Spend more time with those individuals.
  • Implement change in your heart first, and people around you will push the change. Keep moving forward, you are on the right track.
  • Always make relationship changes with love and respect.
• Career Goals:
  • Find workshops or skills to sharpen your knowledge or glean the next step(s) of success.
  • Become a mentor/mentee to glean new wisdom and knowledge you would not necessarily have in your silo of one.
• Scary:
  • Schedule something scary! What is something on your bucket list you have not done yet? Skydiving, public speaking, horseback riding, first date, intermural sport, volunteering; so many more ideas.
    • Do something that really scares you once a month.
  • 10 Lords Leaping:
    • Be bold just as my Lords are. I am not saying to wear silver, gold, and wonderfully stylish tall red riding boots. Be bold in who you are, ride your beautiful stallion over or around the obstacle keeping you from where you want to go.

When we write it helps create a different intention than if we just think about it. Or let intention float off like a feather in the wind. Grab your dreams, and leap into 2017 with your own personal grace and style.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Invite the Holy Spirit to build your heart, soul, and mind in His fruits. Expect less judgment and drama in your life.” Tracy Worley

The 9^th day of Christmas is nine ladies dancing. My body loves a soft groove and a harmonious beat; it makes my inner self happy. I usually jolt into awareness, my body moving without me being aware. There are some who believe the nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

My first inkling of being in a room full of ladies is NOT FUN. My mind goes to drama, gossip, crying, and downright backstabbing. This is based on years of allowing unhealthy relationships to develop in and around my life. I never understood how women could be life-long friends.

In recent years I have set the intention to open my heart, mind, and soul for women in my life who are steadfast, humble, open to other people’s truths, and who love having fun. God has delivered on my prayer for this, and I have stepped forward into those relationships.

The Holy Spirit’s fruits are found in Galatians 5:22. From a room full of ladies and nine of them dancing I envision chaos. Taking the nine fruits into relationships is part of my intention. There is peace, joy, and room and freedom for all of us be authentic. It is one of the most amazing things I have witnessed through this process.

I encourage you to reflect on each of these fruits in your relationships (spouse, peers, co-workers, friends, family, children, and community).

• Love Intense feeling of affection, hold dear, adore
• Joy Wellbeing, success, state of happiness, evoked emotion
• Peace Tranquil freedom, harmony, concord of tranquility
• Patience Ability to wait without being annoyed or upset
• Kindness Disposition of character, inner force or sum of a person
• Goodness Quality of person, beneficial as part of something
• Faithfulness Steadfast, true to facts, duty
• Gentleness Manner, disposition, state of gentle
• Self-Control Restraint over impulses, emotions, desires

Definitions taken from Merriam-Webster

Realizing these fruits in your relationships builds your heart, soul, and mind in freedom. Expect less judgment and drama in your daily life.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Stop waiting for others to love, trust, and show mercy. Show others the way. Demonstrate love, truth, mercy, and justice even when others cannot.”~ Tracy Worley

The 8^th day of Christmas is eight maids a milking. There is a theory the maids are the eight beatitudes Jesus shares in Mathew. The Beatitudes are found in Mathew 5:3-10.  This is one of my favorite parts of Mathew as I can relate to all of them and have surely experienced God’s mercy.

Frankly, many get the Beatitudes wrong. They are not prescriptive but descriptive things. They are not a to-do list. Beatitudes describe who the blessed are and what they will receive. One thing the blessed can count on is persecution. We will be mocked, persecuted and lied about because of our belief.  But the Kingdom of Heaven itself is ours who believe!

The world seems to change so fast that no one can keep up. Regardless of your belief system it seems to be right and true to mock, persecute, and lie about others if they do not fit within a narrow lane of beliefs.

The above statement rings so much truth in how believers and non-believers are witnessing today.

• It is “right” to slander others before finding truth.
• Love is earned.
• Trust is purchased.
• Justice is balancing out of fear and scarcity.
• Comfort is no longer being found in Him first, but of the world first.
• Hearts are impure within.

Where is the encouragement? How did we get from eight maids a milking to falsely accuse and persecute? Why do we not turn the news off? Are we too eager to hear gossip of someone else’s life and not mind our own? How have we let reality television become our new normal?

Be encouraged because in the season, Christ is our light and hope in the darkness, within and without.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Stop hiding and swim your own swan song, by using the unique gift God gave you. He desires to truly know you because you are beautifully made.” ~ Tracy Worley

The 7^th day of Christmas there are seven swans a swimming. This is something I can relate to, the swans are doing exactly what they are made for: swimming with grace and style.

You and I are made in God’s image. When I was a little girl this scared me; what image am I going to see in the mirror? Surely it would not be the cute blue-eyed, curly blonde haired cutie but a reflection of some burley man with all-knowing eyes.

Having someone who truly knows me scares the little me…and the big me. And I am sure it scares some of you too. To have someone who truly knows you from the inside out. Those hidden vaults of guilt, shame, ego, pride, anger, and the list goes on, and I am sure you have a few to fill in too. Someone knows what is inside of the vaults and who or what created them.

• Why do we hide?
• Why can we not swim with beautiful grace as the swans naturally do?
• Where do we pick up the vaults and not step up and out into doing exactly what God has made us for?

The short answer to the questions above is that we live in a fallen world. The enemy has capitalized on this and makes hay with it. Some feel shame to stand out in their graceful swim like the swans do. Take some time and really reflect on the previous statement. There are billions of dollars made and paid to keep us shiny and new in the eyes of the world but not in the eyes of our creator.

What would your confidence look like if you knew the man in the mirror? I know my confidence grows every time I spend time in prayer and God’s Word. The biggest benefit is I no longer fear seeing him through my eyes and vice-versa.

I encourage you to start pealing back society’s layers of “have to” fit in. Break free in your own graceful gifts. Swim and sing your own swan song!

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Consistent steps will bring you to the finish line of success. Be flexible in the time-frame because there is no such thing as an overnight success” ~ Tracy Worley

The 6^th day of Christmas is six Geese a-laying. I still wonder what they are a-laying. Some say it is the six days of creation.

You are a work in progress. Have you ever started a project thinking it would take two hours and it took two weeks? Oh boy, I have certainly created mayhem with projects. I am currently working on a video project that is two years when I thought it would take two weeks. It is our goal to have it launched by first quarter of 2017.

The thought and love we put into projects always shows and gives us bigger dividends than the blood, sweat, and tears to finish. We are all continual works in progress; even God’s creation as we know it took six days, and he is stilling refining us and the world. Through Christ we are in this world but not of it. “The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I choose you to come out of the world…(John 15:19 NLT).”

I encourage you to not let small problems to get in the way of creating the life you deserve and desire. God desires this for you too; it just may take longer to create than initially thought.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Listen to your heart’s message using the outline of the golden rings: joy, peace, wisdom, knowledge, and love.” ~ Tracy Worley

The 5^th day of Christmas is symbolized by five golden rings. I have always had a vision of jewelry.  In further examination some say it is the golden rings of Pheasant necks depicted in nativity scenes.

Five rings prompted me to favor a new outline for prayer, taking me from the shadows of fear into the light of but not of this world. On the 1^st day of Christmas post I wrote about the shadows.

Here is an order of prayer I have used and it fits nicely within 5 Golden Rings:

1. Joy: Adoration / Thankfulness
2. Peace: Repent (what I know, and show what I have done)
3. Wisdom: Petition / Supplication
4. Knowledge: The Word (dig into a Scripture, I try to find a fitting Scripture for my prayer time)
5. Love: Adoration / Thankfulness of time spent with Him

I do not have daily “aha moments” with God, but I do know from my experience and leading others through study He is listening.

Have you ever had the same message given to you through print, multiple people, radio, etc…? Perhaps this is God’s calling card; there is something you are to apply, change, or teach.  Sometimes it is to compound interest of your foundation in knowledge.

Grab the golden rings to your royal seat in the throne room with God.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

It’s the 4^th day of Christmas, and calling birds are calling. What are calling birds, and why are they calling?  We all know the song, but do we intentionally answer when God is calling?  Do we intentionally pick up the prayer wire and call God? A calling bird calls for their mate, and other birds sing to mark territory. Songs are sharing the gift of the sweet serenade of nature.

This is not a supernatural statement, but one of intention. Our first inclination in daily life should start with adoration and thanksgiving. Why? Adoration and thanksgiving takes our mind, heart, and soul out of ourselves and into communion with God.  Living in life out of ourselves also creates stronger relationships with those who are in your life.

I challenge you to test your current circumstance (reality) in prayer, creating an increased confidence in God. Calling and inviting God in prayer opens an abundance of joy, peace, grace, and hope. Find your serenade of calling.

I am not saying life is perfect as we will experience difficulties in our circumstances. Martin Luther shares a wonderful statement from the Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer; Thy Will be Done. “Grant us grace to bear willingly all sorts of sickness, poverty, disgrace, suffering, and adversity and to recognize that in this your divine will is crucifying our will.”

The serenade of your calling will change within your circumstances. We are given the gift of prayer and adoration, and the moanings and groanings of despair. God is open to your cries; trust that he hears them.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley

“Willingness to push yourself out of the shadow and into the light is hard work. But that work leads to perseverance and the life you have been created for.” ~ Tracy Worley

The 3rd day of Christmas three French Hens are presented. Some say the hens are symbols of self-sacrifice such as Jesus is the sacrifice for the whole world.

Your life and my life is not an accident, you have a purpose! Our reality is what we are willing to see, feel, and walk to. I want to encourage you to not be afraid to walk through into the light of your purpose. It will not be perfect, it will be scary and trust me if you are not scared then you are on the wrong path.

Our hearts are in disorder with what society says we need to be, say, or do. I am pounding on the keys as I say this; you are worth so much more, and have so much more to offer!

Take comfort in the Christ of the Christmas season; He has your back! Move forward with the intention of no longer living in the shadows. Live free in your gifts and talents, given by grace.

Look Up and Out,

Tracy Worley